Russia’s top lawmaker wants a ‘special military operation’ veteran teaching in every school across the country

Russia’s top lawmaker, Vyacheslav Volodin, has urged the nation’s schools to welcome veterans of the war in Ukraine as instructors, arguing that they should be teaching “the subjects that suit them best.” Volodin’s comments came during a meeting at Kuban State University in southern Russia. Every school should have at least one such teacher, he said, describing Russia’s soldiers in Ukraine as “heroes” who deserve recognition and roles in educating young people.

The move reflects the Kremlin’s ongoing campaign to integrate the war narrative into daily life and education. Since the invasion began, classrooms across Russia have hosted propagandistic discussions emphasizing the necessity of the invasion of Ukraine, and new textbooks actively defend the Kremlin’s policies — including the annexation of Crimea and even the Soviet Union’s Stalinist Terror. Veterans’ classroom appearances and military-themed student events have become common.

The practice isn’t new in Russia. Volodin recalled that, during his childhood, World War II veterans visited his school to conduct lessons on both military preparedness and vocational skills. He credits these classes with “seriously influencing our worldview.”